


heir to the throne of nothing

by dolphinleo



Series: silent princess [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: (well actually more like i dont sleep), Abusive Parents, Canonical Character Death, Diary/Journal, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, Grief/Mourning, Lesbian Urbosa (Legend of Zelda), Link (Legend of Zelda) Uses Sign Language, Loss of Parent(s), Multi, Other, POV Third Person, POV Third Person Limited, POV Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Parental Figure Urbosa (Legend of Zelda), Polyamorous Character, Polyamorous Urbosa, Zelda (Legend of Zelda) Needs A Hug, but im basically nocturnal rn, but it's not a journal fic, no beta we die like men, parental figure, so no sleep deprivation related errors, there are a lot of journals that are read though, this is all written at night or early morning, well actually no beta because i dont think anyone i know personally wants to beta read this fic, writing fics is better than sleep
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-16
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:26:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 14,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29485203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dolphinleo/pseuds/dolphinleo
Summary: "She gets frustrated whenever she sees that sword on your back. It makes her feel like a failture in her own destiny""That boy is a living reminder of her own failtures. Or at least, that's how the princess sees him""You are the heir to the throne of nothing."
Relationships: Daruk & Link & Mipha & Revali & Urbosa & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Impa & Link (Legend of Zelda), Impa & Purah & Robbie (Legend of Zelda), Impa & Purah (Legend of Zelda), Impa & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Mipha/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Purah & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Urbosa (Legend of Zelda)/Original Female Character(s)
Series: silent princess [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2207718
Kudos: 21





	1. mother

Zelda was six years old when her mother died. It wasn't spread much outside the castle, but they knew the cause of death. The Yiga clan. Two footsoldiers on a mission that would end in their death, a mission that entailed killing the queen. Not Zelda, when she came into her mother's room and saw her bleeding out on the floor. 

Just her mother.

So in the days that followed, Zelda put on a brave face, a six year old girl already having to keep the kingdom's spirits high. 

A six year old girl putting on a brave face with the weight of Hyrule weighing on her shoulders.

At least one good thing came from her mother's death-a visit from Urbosa. Of course, her mother's death wasn't a _good_ thing, it was just that a visit from Zelda's second favourite-well, now favourite, person alive was a good break from the crushing misery she felt.

Because her _mother_ died. The mother that sat Zelda up on her lap and told her stories. The mother that took her horse riding for the first time. The mother that would talk to her friends, voice brimming with pride about how Zelda was walking to the library and reading thick books on ancient Sheikah technology at six years old.

And that mother was dead.

At first, Zelda didn't belive it, even as she watched the light fade out of her mother's eyes. She saw a figure in the distance and run over to find that it was a statue or a guard. She'd hear the familiar rustle of book pages in the library and discover that it was just her father reading.

Then it sunk in. Her mother was dead. Never coming back. And she knew who did it. Yes, _they_ were dead but not the person who gave the command. Not every single person in the Yiga clan who thought it was a good idea to kill her mother. This was about the time when the funeral happened and Urbosa came to Hyrule Castle. Zelda asked a few innocent questions about the Yiga hideout, trying to keep up the brave facade, but she quickly caught on, confronting Zelda in her room, asking if she wanted to go to the Yiga hideout. 

Zelda said she didn't.

Still putting on the brave facade.

Because if they knew how much she was hurting... she needed to protect Hyrule. Keep their spirits high. 

They were upset after losing their queen. They deserved to be happy.

But if someone is happy, someone else isn't.


	2. freezing waters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay! people are leaving kudos <3  
> ily alll  
> hope this chapter is good :3

She was seven years old when Urbosa came to visit again. She was old enough to start training, old enough that she should have awakened her powers. And yet her powers had still not awoken and the training she had travelled outside of the castle for was short and fruitless. So her father had taken to keeping her inside the castle. She would spend most of the day locked inside her room praying to the goddess Hylia. 

Urbosa said that she was doing too much. Zelda thought she wasn't doing nearly enough. 

She continued packing her bags for the journey to the Spring of Courage. Soon, Urbosa would arrive and the two of them would finally get to talk together.

Of course the main focus of their travels was the Spring of Courage. After losing their Queen, Hyrule was in a state of mild panic. By unlocking her power she could help calm Hyrule. And have the power to oppose Calamity Ganon, should the prophecy come true.

She could only hope that the Spring of Courage would provide her some help.

"Princess Zelda?" one of her personal servents, Ophil, said. "Lady Urbosa wishes to see you. She tells you to bring your packed bags. She asks for you to come to see her when you are ready." 

Zelda packed the last few things into her bag and went down to where Urbosa wss waiting. She walked outside with Urbosa until they reached a place with a lack of guards. Urbosa scooped up Zelda into a hug.

"You have done well this past year, my little bird. I hope that you are truly alright and you continue to be so."

Zelda clutched tightly to Urbosa. "I've missed you." she said. 

Urbosa seemed slightly disappointed. "I am going to let your father know we are leaving for the Spring of Courage."

Zelda nodded. Despite her apethetic apperence, Zelda was deeply gladdened by Urbosa's appearence. Still, showing an emotion other than nothing wss hard.

Almost all of what she felt was pure... emotion, really. So strong, if it wasn't tucked away, deep inside of her, it would burst out. 

The princess of Hyrule should never be overcome by emotion in these dark times. 

Urbosa came back and mounted her horse. It was larger than the dark blue horse Zelda rode. Usualy, a princess would tame a horse from a selection of horses bred for excellence and then let free at the age of fourteen, but before then, she would choose a horse from the Royal Stables. 

"Now, let's ride."

They rode for many hours each day, with small breaks every so often where Urbosa would try to get Zelda to open up. Zelda didn't open up. She talked, even was vulnerable with Urbosa, more vulnerable than she was with anyone else, but not open. If she was open with Urbosa, who knew what would happen when she got back, when she had to hide behind a mark of apathy.

"We need to sleep outside tonight." Urbosa said. "We're too far away from the nearest town."

Zelda nodded and changed into her night clothes once they had chosen a place to stay for the night.

"Have you ever slept outside, under the stars?"

"No, I haven't. Mother said she did once. With you."

"In the Gerudo Desert, it's very common to see people sleeping on balconies, or the rooves of houses. It's quite cold, but with the proper clothing, one could spend the night, staring at the sky... it's a beautiful sight."

Zelda lay down her blanket over the ground covering Urbosa had put down. "Seeing that would be wonderful."

She didn't add that she hoped that staring at the Heavens would unlock her sacred power. Urbosa seemed to sense that she felt that as the Gerudo said. "Remember, this is supposed to be a good experience. Spend this time focusing on the stars. Slowly falling to sleep within the nature..."

Zelda lay down next to Urbosa who put the fire out.

And she could see the sunset. It's colours of red and orange and yellow and pink and purple. The warm reds of day fading into the cold blues of night.

And then the stars. And the moon. And everything looked so much more beautiful. The rabbits and foxes running across the field with the background of a thousand stars gleaming with their untold history, unlocked story, timeless mystery.

Urbosa smiled at Zelda, her face just visible in the light of the night sky.

They didn't speak, just stared in awe. Eventually, Zelda fell asleep.

***

"Wake up, little bird." Urbosa said, shaking her gentally awake. Zelda rubbed her eyes and changed into her travelling clothes underneath her blanket.

"Good morning Urbosa." she said. "You were right. The stars are beautiful. Will we sleep under them again tonight?"

"We still have a few days left of travel. If you want, that could be a possibility." Urbosa replied.

Zelda and Urbosa travelled for several days, sometimes sleeping in inns and other times sleeping under the stars, tracing the constalations together. On their fifth day of travel, they reached it. The Spring of Courage.

They had to fight through many enemies to get there, which meant Urbosa had to fight and Zelda carried a shield which she tried to parry the enemies away with. 

"Zelda." Urbosa said, shortly after finishing off the final monster. "Go into the Spring of Courage."

Zelda walked into the water. It was cold, seeing as it was in a colder part of the Faron region and it was nearly night time.

The water was cold. And the goddess Hylia wasn't speaking.

The water was cold and the goddess Hylia wanted her to stay.

It was cold. The water was cold and she was failing.

Because of course she was. Her mother was dead and the water was cold and she couldn't unlock her power and she couldn't get out she couldn't leave.

"If I leave I've failed! I've failed! And it'll be true. If I stay I'll succeed!"

And if she failed her father would hate her. Her mother from beyond the grave would hate her.

 _Hylia, please!_ Zelda thought. _Or Farore or whoever else please grant me my sealing power!_

She was barely aware of anything around her. Of how cold it was getting... how cold she was. How her vision was slowly going dark. Of Urbosa yelling something. Of arms grabbing her. Many arms. Many arms pulling her down because she was a failure and deserved to drown.

Urbosa's arms. She hoped they were Urbosa's arms. 

Though, she was a failure either way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am so sorry for getting "to" and "too" mixed up. i fixed it now but I may not have fixed it everywhere and if you're like me and basically base if you're going to read something off that, I am so sorry. It just... makes my head explode.  
> ily all thank you for liking my fic despite this lol.


	3. we're both broken birds

_Father has allowed me to journey to Rito Village to find a suitable candidate to pilot Divine Beast Vah Medoh. I should be excited, and really, I am, but finding a gifted warrior that I can give a destiny they can fulfil seems like rubbing it in that I have been givin a destiny that I cannot fulfil. I am not a gifted warrior. I am a princess who is failing._

_-_ Zelda's Diary

* * *

Zelda spurred her horse lightly, willing it to go faster. Shs was highly aware of the guards behind her, watching her every move, just waiting for her to do something foolish so she could be sent back to the castle. 

The princess spotted the islands off in the distance. She knew that her horse got spooked when going across the bridges at high speeds, so she slowed down. There were no guards on the islands in the sky, only two at the entrance to Rito Village. She dismounted her horse and walked up the winding stairs of the village, up to the home of the Rito's elder.

"Rito elder," she recited the speach she'd made while preparing for this moment. "I, Princess Zelda of Hyrule, am looking for a pilot for Divine Beast Vah Medoh, an ancient Sheikah weapon that was vital to Calamity Ganon's defeat ten thousand years ago. Please, point me in the direction of your greatest warrior so I may request their services to help Hyrule in its hour of need." 

The elder thought for a moment. "Why do you need our greatest warrior?"

"The role of a champion is not simply piloting the Divine Beast, it is fighting against all of Calamity Ganon's servants and even Calamity Ganon itself, should the time come."

"Very well, Princess Zelda, you may find our greatest warrior, Revali, training in the Flight Zone."

"Thank you." Zelda said. She hoped he never questioned why she never called him by his name. 

* * *

Zelda saw the building up ahead, it was almost masked by all the snow that was falling, but it was almsot definitely the Flight Zone. She was about to approach it when she heard a voice. A dark feathered Rito was training near the Flight Zone. He propelled himself into the air with an updraft created seemingly from nowhere. Zelda watched in awe as the Rito flew up in the air. Despite his rocky landing and chiding of himself, Zelda was envious.

Here was this naturally talented Rito warrior who Zelda would never look up to, and here she was, asking for help from him, as though someone as gifted as him would ever _think_ about helping someone as pathetic as her.

"You know, your highness, it's rude to eavesdrop."

Zelda flushed red, though she doubted he could tell, since most of her face was red from the cold. 

"My apologies," she said. "I went to the village and I was told I could find you here."

She hoped she hadn't destroyed any chance she had of recruiting Revali to her cause. The warrior was silent for a moment, only increasing Zelda's anxieties.

"You have need of me." he finally said. "To defeat Calamity Ganon"

_Please, please, Hylia, please._

"To slay the beast once and for all... it will be my great pleasure."

Zelda breathed a sigh of relief. At least she hadn't failed at _this_ yet.

"Thank you, Revali." Zelda began. "If we work together, I'm certain we'll be able to defeat-"

Revali cut her off. "However!" The Rito champion crouched onto the ground and created un updraft, then he flew into the air. Corkscrewing up in one fluid motion. If Zelda could do half of what that bird could do...

He was extremely high now, so high that if he was a Hylian, he would have needed extra warm clothes and heating food. All Zelda could see of him was a black speck.

He soared down and released three bomb arrows from his bow, which hit three targets.

He fell below what Zelda could see, then came up with another updraft. He shot bomb arrow after bomb arrow, hitting every target in the Flight Zone. He soared down to the Flight Zone building and took a bow.

"I know I play the biggest part in helping that," he cleared his throat. "that little knight with the darkness sealing sword. Correct? Well, if he loses his confidence after seeing me in action... don't come crying to me."

Zelda nodded and left Revali to continue his training. Despite his air of superiority, he was right. He played the biggest role in helping the mystery knight with the darkness sealing sword on his back. Well, bigger than Zelda who couldn't even sense any of her power.

Revali and that mystery knight were born special, Zelda was supposed to be as well.

* * *

"Hello, Princess, I see you've made yourself at home."

"My apologies, Revali, your elder directed me to a room but I didn't know which one was which."

Revali struggled to keep in a smile. "You forgot his name, didn't you."

Zelda flushed bright red again. "No I did not!"

Revali laughed. "It's alright, I could never remember his name. Still don't."

He sat down on a ledge overlooking the canyon just outside Rito Village.

"You can stay here, if you want, your highness. I take it that you didn't get lost since your guards are in your room."

Zelda nodded sheepishly. "They... they're just..." she was about to say talented, but decided against it. If he knew that Zelda couldn't use her power, he might back out. "I just, they're there to make sure I don't step out of line. There's Naki, who makes it obvious he would rather not be here and... Link..." she trailed off.

"Link?" Revali prompted.

"It just, feels like he's judging me. He's silent and expressionless and I can't get a read of his emotions."

"Why would he judge you?" Revali spat out. "You're the almighty princess of Hyrule."

Zelda was speachless for a few seconds.

"I'm not." she whispered.

"What? The princess?" Revali's joking, mocking, tone had come back.

"Almighty. I... my power..." _should i be saying this..._ "I can't use it."

Now it was Revali's turn to be speachless. She mentally chided herself for chasing him away.

 _How are you going to explain_ that _failure?_

"I was weak." Revali said. "When I was younger. I could barely hold a bow. I couldn't fly. Everyone was surprised I lived past the first winter.

"I still can't fly. It hurts. Physically. So I created Revali's Gale. I vibrate my wings enough to create an updraft, then the air does all the work, and my wings aren't in pain.

"I jump around a lot. Instead of flying. I say it's my personal style but... it's because of my wings. I have everyone fooled that I'm doing just fine but there are some things that you can't overcome."

They say together, in silence. It was less awkward, since they weren't forced due to one or the other saying something stupid.

"Sorry, for oversharing, your highness. But if you want, you can use one of the spare sleeping roosts."

"Is it a hammock?"

"Some may describe it as one."

"Well, thank you, Rito Champion."

He smiled and jumped out of the room, Zelda winced as she saw him glide through the air. How was he so fine with it? Fine with the thing he loved doing and was so good at physically hurting him.

* * *

_I didn't know I have so much in common with Revali. He's like me. People underestimate him. Or people expect him to do well. He's a broken bird, we just handle it differently. Maybe I should take a leaf out of his book._

_Needless to say, he's been successfully recruted to pilot Divine Beast Vah Medoh. Next, I need to find a Goron to pilot Divine Beast Vah Rudania._

\- Zelda's Diary


	4. walk in the bark

_I am visiting Death Mountain today. It was a long trek up the mountain and I've stopped at a hot spring near the mines outside of Goron City. The Chief of the Gorons and overseer of the Eldin region will soon see me, I've heard he is a great warrior, though I've forgotten his name. Darun? Naruk? I hope that the Goron Chief will introduce himself._

_And become Vah Rudania's pilot._

_\- Zelda's Diary_

* * *

Zelda was exhausted. She'd trecked up the mountain - no, _volcano -_ in broud daylight. The heat radiating from Death Mountain was enough to set her on fire, if not for the elixirs they had brewed. Zelda opened her diary, a gift from her mother before she passed and wrote down some of the effects of the elixir. Good thing that paper was able to be made resistance to the extreme temperatures on Death Mountain.

"Are you the princess I'm supposed to be meeting here?" a booming voice sounded. Zelda looked up from her diary and saw a hulking Goron with white hair and a beard. He was holding a gigantic weapon which Zelda thought looked a lot like a bigger version of what some of the miners were weilding. "I am the Almighty Daruk! Chief of the Gorons!"

Zelda chided herself for forgetting his name. "Yes, I am the princess that you arranged to meet." she answered. "My name is Princess Zelda of Hyrule."

"Well, tiny princess, I must admit, I forgot why I was brought here. Do ya want to talk as we walk."

"Of course, Master Daruk." the two of them walked down the rocky mountain path, Zelda's guards following closly behind. Naki was looking even more annoyed than usual, possibly because he had to wear soldier's armour in this heat. Link remained as expressionless as usual, only a slight grimance displaying his true feelings on the matter.

"I am looking for four people from the Rito, Goron, Zora and Gerudo people to pilot the Divine Beasts. I am looking for the most powerful warrior and one who felt a connection with the Divine Beast. It has come to my attention that you are a great warrior. I would love to have you pilot Vah Rudania, if you so choose."

"Ah! Count me in, tiny princess! I'm the fearless Daruk, after all! And if Hyrule needs my help, I'll gladly lay down my life."

Zelda smiled up at the Goron. "Thank you, Daruk!"

"Not sure if it's Calamity Ganon's fault or what," Daruk continued. "but I hear monsters have been attacking people more than ever lately." he turned to face Zelda. "Times like these... you shouldn't leave the castle without a horde of mighty Gorons to watch your back."

Zelda stared up at Daruk, trying to keep her face as impassive as possible. She tried to tell herself it wasn't anything personal but all she could think was that Daruk was just another person who saw her as a pathetic failture of a princess.

"You sound like Father." she said, trying to keep the bitterness out of her voice. "He's assigning a knight to watch over me wherever I go. I hear the top contender is the most accomplished swordsman in all of Hyrule."

As if she needed that kind of protection. Only two young soldiers had managed to kill the Yiga Clan members that had killed her mother. The Yiga Clan members who had failed to kill her... 

She snapped herself out of it, no use dwelling over things that happened years ago.

"Huh, that could only be..." Daruk began. "Hm? What the... They really are all over the place these days."

Zelda watched as a few bokoblins ran over to something behind a rock.

"Hm? Is someone being attacked?" Daruk wondered. "Cowards! Wait here, Princess."

Before Zelda could assure Daruk that her guards would take care of it, he jumped into battle, swinging his gigantic weapon as if it weighed no more than a feather. He sent most of the bokoblins flying and the rest fleeing in terror. The fight was over in seconds.

Zelda felt much the same way she had after witnessing Revali's expert archery. Awe, with more than a hint of shame. And this time, she knew that Daruk had been born special. She'd heard about his exploits when he was but a child, taking down an Igneo Talus at a young age.

Daruk scoffed. "Spineless little cuccoos!" he stomped forward. "No monster stands a chance when fighting me, the almighty Daruk!"

Zelda ran forward and spotted something, a dog the monsters were attacking. She walked towards it and kneeled down. "You're safe." she said. The dog got to its feet, then ran towards her, barking and licking her face. "It seems our friend here was being attacked. Precious boy.." she turned to Daruk. "You saved his life!"

Daruk was... quivering... was he afraid? The dog barked at him and he dropped his weapon and activated Daruk's Protection. Usually Zelda would be annoyed at someone using the ability _they_ could use so easily flippantly but... this was just _funny._

The dog ran off, barking one more time as some sort of thank you.

"Good riddance..." Daruk said. "and stay safe."

He turned to Zelda, giving her a slightly abashed smile. "I'm sorry ya had to see that side o' me. As a kid, dogs always chased me. I still panic when I see one o' those critters."

"I never imagined the Great Daruk would have a weakness." she said, trying to be polite.

"So tell me... Princess..."

"Yes?"

"Calamity Ganon isn't, uh..." he paused. "Some kind of dog monsters is he?"

Zelda couldn't keep it in any more, she started laughing, Daruk, the Great Daruk was afraid of _dogs_.

* * *

 _Daruk, the almight Daruk. The Fearless Daruk is afraid of_ dogs.

_At first, the trip went badly, well, I managed to convince him to become Vah Rudania's pilot fairly easily but it was... rough considering he, like so many of the Champions I will be working alongside, is naturally talented and even has a power he can control that he's had since birth. But after fighting monsters, we discovered what they were attacking and it was a dog. And Daruk was afraid of it! I'm almost glad he's afraid of them, otherwise he'd be perfect, everything that I'm not, but since he's not, he'll probably be more sympathetic when I reveal my problems with my powers to the Champions I don't know... which would only be the Zora Champion. Possibly a soldier in their army, I've heard that someone called... Buzz... is very good._

\- Zelda's Diary


	5. boy with a pot lid

_Father sent a messenger to me a few days ago, he said that I needed to come back to Hyrule Castle so he could choose a guard for me and me, my chosen guard and a few soldiers can clear out Korok Forest in preparation for the Hero of Hyrule to pull out the sword that seals the darkness._

_At the same time as wishing all the best to Hyrule, I doubt I'll be happy when the hero pulls the Master Sword out of its pedistal._

_It'll be one more reminder that I've failed._

\- Zelda's Diary

* * *

Zelda walked the streets of Hyrule Castle Town, holding some honey candy that she got from a shop in her hand, she'd just returned from a secret trip to the Royal Ancient Tech Lab, and wanted to create an albi, something that would still get her in trouble, but would likely not result in Zelda being banned from researching.

"Do you think that Princess up in Hyrule Castle's ever going to learn to use her power?"

"I wonder how all of Hyrule hasn't found out yet."

"They probably have, they're just pretending not to know out of pity."

"Poor girl."

"Still, it's her own fault."

Zelda gritted her teeth. This was why she preferred to stay in the Royal Ancient Tech Lab. There were no people gossiping about how much of a failure she was. And if they did, they never did it within earshot.

Suddenly, Zelda heard a sound, a shrill alarm and a low humming that sounded like a Guardian when it had its sights on something. Zelda walked towards the sound, already taking out her Research Notebook. The Guardian was to the west side of Castle Town... and its beam was set on a little girl.

The girl tried to scramble away, but she was obviously too scared to even so much as move. Zelda recognised the warning signs, the Guardian was about to fire, she moved towards the child, knowing she would be too late and-

Someone deflected the beam.

A boy, about Zelda's age with blonde hair tied up into a small ponytail with bits hanging around the side, he was short, a little taller than Zelda, but he was quick. Quick enough to grab a pot lid and deflect a Guardian's lazer back at it, killing it instantly.

The boy pulled the girl to her feet, and Zelda recognised him. The same pale face and blank expression.

"Excuse me, are you Link? One of the people who currently guard the Princess?" Zelda asked.

Link turned to face her and nodded. Then knelt down, Zelda knew what was coming. She slowly turned around to face her father.

"Boy." King Rhoam said. "What's your name?"

"Link." Zelda answered for him.

"I'm sure the boy can speak for himself."

"He's been guarding me on and off for a year and hasn't spoken a word."

The King looked at his daughter, his expression one of disapointment, one Zelda has seen many times before.

"Go to your room. You shouldn't be out here."

So, she did. She walked into the castle and up a winding staircase to right outside of her room...

and walked into her study.

There. A tiny bit of rebellion. 

She opened her notebook and wrote notes about the Guardian that Link defeated until she heard the unmistakable footsteps on the stairs. She snuck into her room and tried to pretend that she was there the whole time, praying.

"Your father wishes to see you." a servent who just walked into her room announced. Zelda bit her tongue to stop her from pointing out that he just told her to leave.

Zelda walked back down to Castle Town's main square.

"Link will be your guard from now on. Not just one of many soldiers assigned to protect you, he will accompany you everywhere. And the first thing you need to do, is go to Korok Forest. Prehaps one of the soldiers who accompany you, or even Link, will end up wielding the Master Sword."

Zelda knew that her father was rubbing it in. That's what he did. She also knew that the women gossiping were having a field day, that everyone near them was laughing at her.

"Am I understood?"

"Yes, Father."

And a boy with a pot lid was better than she'd ever be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh, poor Zelda, if she hates Link now, how horrible is it going to feel when he pulls out that Sword....


	6. may the goddess smile upon you

_Link and I set off for Korok Forest today. We will stop by the military training camp for enough soldiers to defeat all the monsters of Korok Forest. Link is frustratingly quiet and emotionless. He_ will _be my guard until he can no longer fight, so I have to get used to it._

\- Zelda's Diary

* * *

_We are close to the military training camp, still not quite there._

\- Zelda's Diary

* * *

_We're at the military training camp. Link and I will stay over and then we'll head off for Korok Forest with a platoon of soldiers behind us. I... shouldn't be hoping this, but please let the sword that seals the darkness be as stubborn as the goddess Hylia. Let it never reveal itself to the hero. Let it be a useless stick. Let someone else feel how I feel all the time._

_Good thing I'm just writing this down. No one can see and I can pretend that I never thought that._

_-_ Zelda's Diary

* * *

"Your highness, this is the entrance to Korok Forest. You should ride in the middle of us."

Zelda nodded and slowed her horse, she'd been rough on it lately, taking out her anger over... everything, really, on the poor creature.

Link slowed his horse's pace down to meet hers. She wanted to speed up again, just to spite him.

They continued onwards, the shear force of the Hyrulean army taking out any and all monsters in their path. Zelda started to wonder why she even needed Link around if these soldiers could handle everything, until a green lizalfos jumped up and nearly stabbed her in the head, Link dismounted his horse, jumping high in the air as he did so and thrust his sword down, killing the lizalfos in a second. Despite, Zelda's misgivings, she had to admit that he could fight well.

They fought through the hordes of monsters until they reached a clearing, Zelda dismounted her horse and saw something on the ground. A Silent Princess, Zelda's favourite flower. Favourite _thing_ , honestly.

"Princess, we're going to clear out the rest of the foresf, so you can ride back safely."

Zelda nodded. None of the soldiers seemed to be moving in that general direction except.

_No, please no, anyone but him. Anyone._

Link put his hands on the sword.

He pulled the Master Sword out of its pedistal.

And the Master Sword, a weapon that glows bright with sacred power when in the hands of its one true weilder, glowed bright blue.

Because Zelda was the only failure. She was always the only failure and-

Of course. Of course everything makes sense! She was never _meant_ to succeed. It was her mother. And the Yiga didn't kill her because they _wanted_ this. This absolute despair.

Despair.

_May the goddess smile upon you, Link, Hero of Hyrule, she never smiled upon me._


	7. and we're off

"Princess Zelda, your highness?" Zelda turned to the speaker. It was nightime, so she had recently returned from her study and was about to start praying. "Your father wishes to speak with you."

Zelda put the Sheikah Slate Purah had given her behind a book in her bookshelf and went into the Sanctum.

"Zelda, it is good to see you." her father said, but his face said otherwise. It was cold and angry. At her, almost definitely. For being unable to unlock her sealing power. "It has come to my attention that you have been spending most of your day in your study."

There it was. The accusation. "I have been in my study during the day and praying in my room at night." she said, hoping her father would drop it.

"Have you-"

"Excuse me, your majesty." Zelda had never been more grateful to Impa in her life. "Zelda has a lot of preperations to make, I say we keep her here for as little time as possible."

King Rhoam nodded. "I have agreed to let you travel to Zora's Domain and Gerudo Town to recruit the remaining Champions."

"Thank you, Father." Zelda said, bowing her head.

"Link will accompany you."

But even that wasn't enough to dampen Zelda's mood. She exused herself and walked back upstairs to her room, still happy despite Link tailing her.

She opened her diary and began to write.

* * *

 _I have been neglecting this diary for quite some time, but now I have something to write about. I am going to Zora's Domain and Gerudo Town to recruit the remaining Champions. I'm not sure who the Zora Champion will be, I will consult with their king and ask around, but I do know who the Gerudo Champion will be, should Urbosa choose to accept._ _I think she'll accept._

_Purah and I have been unearthing more ruins, along with an ancient text that reads of the Champions' Trials. It may have something to do with the pilots of the Divine Beasts, but more likely it is something relating to the knight and I. Hopefully it offers guidence on how to unlock my power._

\- Zelda's Diary

* * *

Zelda slept that night, a long sleep on a bed for the first time in a week, and got dressed into travelling clothes. She grabbed the bag she had packed for herself and headed down to the Royal Stables in Castle Town. Link was already there and had prepared their horses. The two set off, Zelda deliberately trying not to look at the sword on Link's back. 

They travelled east, going across a bridge and on a path in between Crenel Hills and Crenel Peak. Link was silent, something that was a minor annoyance before, was now the only thing she could think about.

Was he like everyone else? Thinking that she was a failure? Zelda knew she was a failure, why did other people have to constantly point it out?

They rode for almost the whole day until they reached a small fishing village connected by bridges next to a crossroad.

Link dismounted his horse and lead it to a building that had a sign reading "Mercay Island Inn." Zelda followed suit and after putting them into the stables, Zelda and Link walked into the inn. Link, without talking, booked a single room with two beds for them. He waited outside while Zelda changed and she did the same for him.

But he kept the sword with him, on top of a small table next to his bed. He slept fitfully, even though he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, he stirred at the slightest noise, his hand on his sword even as he slept.

Zelda didn't sleep well either. Or, rather, she _didn't_ sleep. All she could think about was what Link was thinking. And if he knew how much better he was than her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> did... i accidentally make this a lil bit Zelink? well, it wasn't my intention, I am literally shiping both of them with *cough* Zora Royalty *cough*  
> but ship what you want to ship! says person who used to ship erasor head and best jeanist.  
> they have literally never shared screen time (page time... whatever).  
> umm... tangent aside, hope you liked this chapter, even though i finished it at, like, midnight along with the others.


	8. she knows

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oop, sorry for the delay.

Link woke Zelda early in the morning, looking much more well rested than she felt.

They rode out of town and onto the path leading to the winding road to the Zora's Domain. It was a long ride, filled with monsters that Link had to fight, but he didn't get hit once. Neither did Zelda.

Because of course he was talented enough to be able to take on multiple monsters without so much as a scratch.

Finally, as the sun set, they arrived at Zora's Domain and were stopped by two guards.

"I am Princess Zelda, I wish to speak with King Dorephan." she said, as soon as the guards approached the two of them. " _He_ is my guard. If you don't mind, would you please show him where to keep our horses."

"Of course, Princess Zelda. King Dorephan is up those stairs. Though it may be wiser to see him in the morning. The Seabed in is over there." the guard pointed. "We will inform the king of your arrival right away."

"Thank you, I'll see King Dorephan in the morning if that is not too much of a hassle."

"Not at all, Princess."

Zelda wondered if they knew about her inability to unlock her power. She wondered if Daruk knew about it. That seemed unlikely seeing as though Revali didn't. Of course, her father associated more with the Gerudo and Zora rather than the Rito and Goron. She could even remember the name of King Dorephan's eldest daughter, Princess Mipha.

Zelda paid for a bed for both her and Link, and settled down to write a little in her diary.

* * *

_Link and I have arrived at the Zora's Domain. I was planning on asking Dorephan for advice on who to choose. I'm still thinking about this "Buzz" person but I have been considering taking a little walk around the Domain first. The Zora Champion is the only one that I will choose, or have to pick the right one, depending on if we're reading the ancient text right._

_I hope I don't fail. No, I_ won't _fail. I'll choose the greatest Champion to have ever lived. They'll be the best warrior and even Father will be pleased._

_At least, I hope._

\- Zelda's Diary

* * *

Zelda woke up earlier than Link, who was tossing and turning in his sleep. He didn't speak, not even then, but his face wasn't expressionless. He was smiling, faintly. Zelda would have thought it cute, had it not cemented the idea that he didn't speak because he hated her.

Zelda walked up the stairs but was stopped by a guard.

"Excuse me, the king is not accepting visitors at this time."

"I'm sure he'll let me in."

"He's... asleep..."

"Oh."

Her face burning from embaressment, she walked back down the stairs and looked around. To the west she saw a small pond and a waterfall. Climbing the cliffs surrounding it would give her a way to pass time, take a look around the Domain and get away from Link. She followed the path until she got to the first section of climbing. Luckily, she had changed into her more casual garb.

She almost slipped a few times, but managed to climb up the cliffs and reach the top. She looked around a little, there was a great view of the Zora Domain, and at this time of day, the sun lit up the blue building perfectly. 

Suddenly, she saw something, a red blur right near the top of the waterfall. She walked towards the blur, being careful not to inturupt anything, and saw a young Zora holding a trident.

The Zora was jumping about, occasionally lunging as if to attack something with their trident.

"Hello?" the Zora with the trident said. "Who's there?"

Zelda stepped forward. "I'm..." why was her throat closing up? "I'm Zelda. Who are you?"

"I am Mipha. By Zelda... do you mean, Princess Zelda?"

All Zelda could do was nod.

"Why aren't you completely surrounded by guards? When I was young, Father made me walk around with at least one at all times."

Zelda tried to stifle her nerves and answer. "The knight assingned to guard me was asleep when I woke up. So, I went over here to look at the view."

Mipha nodded and went back to practicing with her trident.

To Zelda, it was much more beautiful than the view.

* * *

Zelda walked back into the Zora's Domain, extremely wet. She'd taken a dive down the waterfall with Mipha rather than climb back down, so she had to dry off before meeting the king. Link was also fairly wet, presumably from looking for Zelda.

He still hadn't spoken.

Zelda walked up the stairs to King Dorephan's throne. She knew that finding the Zora Champion would take a while, but the closer she got to finally being reuinited with Urbosa, the faster she wanted it to happen.

"King Dorephan," Zelda said to the giant Zora King. "I have come to find the Zora Champion. The future pilot of Divine Beast Vah Ruta."

The King was the biggest person she had ever seen, possibly bigger than the biggest Goron. And he was blue, unlike the red of Mipha and who Zelda assumed to be Mipha's younger sibling.

"Divine Beast Vah Ruta hasn't even been fully unearthed yet." the King countered. "Why do you need a Zora to pilot it."

Zelda clenched her jaw. If this was how he treated an ambassador-

No, this was how he treated pathetic princesses who couldn't even do what they needed to do.

"The Sheikah created the Divine Beasts to be piloted by one of the four different races across Hyrule. We haven't yet unearthed all of the ancient documents, but we do know that the only reason Hyrule didn't fall ten thousand years ago was because of these Divine Beasts. Furthermore, they're _Divine._ The sacred powers of the Divine Beasts might be as important as the Princess's sealing power. We _need_ a Zora Champion to defeat Calamity Ganon."

She forced herself to stop after that, otherwise she may have rambeled on about ancient technology for the better part of the day.

"Alright. I will allow you to find the Zora Champion."

"Thank you, King Dorephan."

Zelda left the throne room and walked around the main area of the Domain. There was an armour shop, general store, smithy, inn and sleeping areas for the Zora.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for your military training area." Zelda asked one of the guards.

"It's right below Shatterback Point. But that area... it's dangerous right now. And even if it wasn't diving from such a height is dangerous to Hylians. Take the land route. Go out of the main area through the east exit, then go south while following the path and you'll encounter some stairs. We use the dam as one military training area."

"Thank you."

Zelda followed the path that the guard had layed out for her, still trying to ignore Link's seeming obbsesion with following her around. Mipha was also there, she seemed to be tailing Zelda as much as Link.

"Mipha... what are you doing here?" Zelda asked.

"Healing anyone who gets hurt while attempting to finish excavating Divine Beast Vah Ruta. It's almost completely dug up... but it won't let anyone else around..."

"Anyone else?"

Mipha shrugged. "I went up to it a few times, but it might not have noticed me."

They were quiet for a while, until there was a huge blast of water. Zelda looked away from Mipha and at the lake. It had come from the Divine Beast.

Mipha dived into the water and swam, Zelda had seen Mipha's dive, which was breathtaking, but she hadn't seen Mipha swim, which was arguably even more beautiful. Mipha slung the injured Zora onto her back and swam back to land. The Zora had broken a bone from being pushed so hard back from the water coming from Ruta.

Mipha put her hand on the injured Zora, and a white-blue glow came from it.

"Oh, sorry, I should have warned you I was going to do that... considering..."

_She knows._

Mipha continued to heal and let the Zora go on her way. The sat in silence, but it didn't feel soothing. Zelda couldn't shake the feeling that Mipha was judging her, that everyone was judging her, that everyone in the Zora's Domain was laughing at her failure-

"Link?" Mipha exclaimed. "Is it you?"

And Mipha was friends with Link. Why did everything good in her life have to disappear?

Zelda slipped away, back to the Zora's Domain. Luckily, there was a room prepared for her now, so she could be alone. And not have to deal with anyone who knew.


	9. the princess' brother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this took a lil while to come out, I think I'll work more within a fixed update schedule, so I'll put that in the series description.  
> hope you like it <3

_I know who the Zora Champion is... I just have to ask her... and that's a little terrifying. I still don't know exactly what being a Champion of a Divine Beast entails, but if it's dangerous.... even if she hates me, because I can't unlock my powers, I can't just lead her into death, I know Daruk can survive pretty much anything, Urbosa too... but it's Revali and Mipha that bother me... I know Revali is the greatest archer, greatest_ warrior _among the_ _Rito, but... I don't want him to get hurt, and the act of simply flying to Vah Medoh will hurt him. And Mipha... she's capable, very capable but... I want to protect her - no - I_ need _to protect her. As if_ I _could protect anyone. That's why I have misgivings, I can't get her hurt on my account, hurt because I can't seal Ganon away._

 _But I have to... I can't save Hyrule by only focusing on_ her.

\- Zelda's Diary

* * *

Zelda rose to her feet, the cliff was slick from the early morning fog, so it was much harder to climb. The knight was already at the top, because of course the Hero of Hyrule was better than her at everything. She walked towards Mipha, who was once again training with her trident.

"Zelda?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

"I... you... Champion?"

_Very eloquent._

Mipha gave a slight smile. "Could you... repeat that?"

"Can you," Zelda began, her face burning with embarrassment. "p-pilot Divine Beast Vah Ruta?"

_What is it about this girl that makes me loose the ability to speak?_

"So, Princess... May I ask who the other chosen Champions are?"

"Goron Vigilance, Daruk. Rito Confidence Revali, Gerudo Spirit, Urbosa." she was surprised that she wasn't stuttering like before, possibly since she'd rehearsed this more times then the actual asking. "And also..."

_Your friend, Mipha, the friend who pulled out the sword that seals the darkness and can do something other than fail._

"The Hylian with the sword that seals the darkness. Link."

Mipha looked away, most probably remembering that Link was her friend, that Link didn't fail, that she had no confirmation accepting this offer wouldn't lead her to her death. 

"Oh..." Mipha walked to the edge of the cliff, looking over at the lake below the Veiled Falls. In the lake, a small red Zora was swimming.

"Sidon! Hurry up and swim up here!" Mipha said.

"Mipha..." Zelda said. "Prehaps he is still too young to swim up this big waterfall."

Her throat felt dry, as if she'd been shouting.

"One day, Princess..." Mipha said. "I must leave him... to face my fate with Ruta."

Before Zelda could ask if that meant she was accepting, she dived. It wasn't a simple one, that she did with Zelda when she needed to get off the cliffs and didn't want to climb back down, she was almost _in_ the waterfall, as if she was flying rather than falling.

She reached the bottom of the waterfall, and Sidon climbed on Mipha's back, the two of them spead up the waterfall, dancing in and out of the water.

She reached the top and gently placed Sidon on the ground.

"Sweet Sidon." she said, placing her hand on his face. "Should fate ever part us..." she paused, and tilted her chin up, a gesture Zelda recognised from years of pushing her emotions down with that very motion. "I'm counting on you to protect our beloved home from harm. Understood?"

Sidon nodded.

"I believe in you." Mipha smiled. "Now, shall we try one more time?"

Sidon gave a bright smile and started laughing alongside his sister.

"Princess Zelda," Mipha said. "I accept your propostion. I cannot stand by as Zora's Domain and Hryule is under threat. I will become the Zora Champion."

Zelda bowed her head. "Thank you, Princess Mipha."

* * *

_I believe in Mipha. She has a family, a brother who needs her and looks up to her. A whole army who owe her their lives. When she walks up to people, they smile and thank her. Because she saved their life. She defeated the monster that was going to kill them and saved their life. I have no doubt that she'll be able to pilot Divine Beast Vah Ruta._

_I offered for her to come to Hyrule Castle with me, she needs to go there anyway, so she can meet with all the other Champions. She accepted the offer. Tommorow we'll ride back home and I'll prepare for my journey to Gerudo Town._

_I cannot wait to see Urbosa. Though I'm a little worried she might bring up..._ that _event._

\- Zelda's Diary


	10. one last trip

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oop, sorry I didn't reread the chapter before this one so there was a little error.  
> it's fixed now, don't worry :)  
> and I'm making a backlog of chapters so they won't be late! yay!  
> I'm thinking of taking a bit more from AoC because I have it now, but I'm not sure. I'm probably not going to retcon anything into fitting into the newly discovered canon (like the towns and stuff not the weird lil robot and malice) but I'll try incorporate it when i can.  
> also you get an extra chapter because otherwise I can't order them correctly.

_After a little while of riding, Mipha decided to swim to Hyrule Castle, or as close to Hyrule Castle as she coule get. She hugged me, before she left, not only was it very cooling, it felt nice. I want to be hugged by her again. I hope she's safe, I know lizalfos commonly live in rivers._

He _still hasn't spoken, but he has protected me from monsters a few times. Though it's natural that he's a good swordsman. He has the sword that seals the darkness._

_It seems as though every Champion is special in some way, and loved by their people._

_Revali is the greatest archer of the Rito and all of his commrades look up to him. Daruk is a hero of the Gorons, chosen by his people to lead them, in battle and outside of it. Mipha is loved by her people, she's saved almost every one of them through either her healing power, her spearmanship or the clever application of the water that she creates and controls from the use of her power. Urbosa is a great warrior, having her people's respect, not just through her saving their lives, but through her skill at leadership._

_And... Link... even before aquiring the Master Sword, was a gifted soldier in the Hyrulean Army, following orders to a fault and being skilled at almost all weapon types, from swords, to claymores, to spears, to bows._

_And that leaves me as the only Princess in Hyrule's history to be unable to unlock her power, to be hated by her people, to walk around Castle Town and hear them laugh._

_I cannot fail. I have to unlock my power. I will not be the Champion that causes Hyrule to fall._

\- Zelda's Diary

* * *

"You may go now, there are enough guards around." Zelda said, upon arriving at her room.

Link shook his head and sheathed his sword.

"I'm not going to be attacked."

Link shook his head again.

"It's been a long time since that day. There has been a significant increase in the amount of guards patrolling the castle."

Zelda started to worry that she would be attacked, that Link was right to be standing there.

"Fine, you may stay there, but we leave for Gerudo Town at first light."

She walked inside her room and reached for one of the new collection of research notes that Purah put in her room while she was gone. She was about to open it when-

_Maybe this is why I haven't unlocked my powers. Maybe I've spent too much time researching and I need to stop treating this like a game, like I'm just having fun researching, like I-_

She put the collection of Purah's notes away and knelt in front of the goddess statue. Maybe right then would be the moment her power awakened.

* * *

Zelda was shaken awake by Impa in the early morning, before the sun had even come up.

"Your highness, I understand that you'll be going to Gerudo Town?"

Zelda nodded, she felt stiff, since she'd been sleeping on the floor in front of the goddess statue for the whole night.

"Can I accompany you? You'll need a guard when you go into Gerudo Town, and you cannot take Link into Gerudo Town."

Zelda nodded again and began gathering everything she'd need for the upcoming journey. She'd been so busy praying that she'd completely forgotten to do it.

"When do we leave?"

"At dawn. Are you packed already?"

"Yes, Zelda."

"Please leave so I can change."

Impa left and Zelda quickly changed into her travelling clothes, stuffing the outfit she wore for prayer into her bag, as well as a small goddess statue she used when travelling.

She walked out of the room, it was a little foggy, but other than that, it looked like a day with good weather. Link wasn't by her door, he must have gone to the barracks to sleep.

"Impa, have messengers been sent to Revali and Daruk? Informing them of their duty to report to Hyrule Castle?"

"Yes. Princess Mipha of the Zora arrived just as we were sending the letters."

Zelda and Impa walked down the spiral staircase and out of the castle, meeting Link at the stables.

They climbed onto their horses and rode off. Zelda recalled that there was a small settlement near the Gerudo Desert Gateway that they could leave their horses at, but the sands of the Gerudo Desert were too hard for horses to walk on, even Hylians had a hard time...

"Have you ridden a sand seal?" Zelda asked, directing her question at Impa.

"What is a sand seal?" Impa questioned. "I've never been to the Gerudo Desert, it's crawling with Yi-"

Impa cut herself off, remembering who she was talking too, but it was too late. Zelda clenched her fists. The closer she got to Urbosa, the more often her worst memories floated to the surface.

"I'm sorry, Impa, please continue."

"No need to apologise, your highness, if I went through half of what you've gone through..."

 _Would you be a failure too?_ Zelda wondered bitterly. _Is that the reason I've failed? Because of everything that happened to me?_

She pushed that though aside, as her father had said, multiple times, the only reason she was failing is because she didn't try hard enough. She fell asleep while praying! That didn't show dedication. Nothing she ever did showed any dedication.

"Can you explain more about sand seals?" Impa asked, snapping Zelda out of her thoughts.

"Of course. Do you know seals?"

"Yes."

"Sand seals are seals, that instead of living in costal environments, live in deserts. In the Gerudo Desert. They 'swim' through the sand and are very sensitive to vibrations. If one hits them with a bomb arrow, they'll get dizzy. Some refer to them as the horses of the sands."

"Does that mean... we'll climb on top of a sand seal and hold onto it as it drags us through the desert?"

Zelda laughed, she could always count on Impa to lighten her mood.

"No, but you're close. You get a bit of rope and tie it around the sand seal, it's difficult, but Urbosa - _Lady_ Urbosa showed me how. I can teach you once we get the the Gerudo Desert. After you tie the rope around it so it's secure and the sand seal is comfortable, you take out your shield, and jump on it, being sure to hold onto the ropes. It's the most difficult step, but once you've tamed a sand seal, it's much easier since it won't run off. Then, you stand on your shield, making sure your feet don't fall off, hold onto the ropes and shield surf with your sand seal pulling you along."

"Is that why you brought along the rope? I saw it in your bag and was wondering about it."

"Yes, Urbosa gave it to me, it's the best rope to use for capturing sand seals, not only is it strong, it feels the best for sand seals which should always be your top priority."

"Do you have a sand seal?"

"Yes, I caught one with Urbosa," _and Mother._ "a while ago."

Impa smiled. "I wish I'd gone to the Gerudo Desert before. I've always wanted to go, I've always been fascinated by the Gerudo and Purah wanted me to do some research on the Thunder Helm."

"Does she think the Thunder Helm has something to do with ancient technology?" Zelda asked, thankful for the fact her horse was well trained enough to continue riding as she wrote in her research notebook.

"She told me she wants to replicate it so she can make armour that makes the wearer immune to electricity. Electrical enemies are a problem, even to people who aren't Zora."

"But... how? From what I know, the Thunder Helm is practically magic."

"I'm not a researcher, you could ask Purah once we get back."

Zelda was dreading going back to Hyrule Castle, she was having such a good time out here, away from that place, and as soon as Urbosa was recruited, she would go back to the disappointed look on her father's face, the muttering about her in the hallways, the laughs, the pointed looks, the false sympathy.

"If you want, I could take notes on it, since you know nothing about ancient technology."

"Thank you, Princess Zelda, Purah would be displeased to recieve my attempt at researching. I'd most likely write 'The Thunder Helm protects the wearer from electricty' or something equally as non-descriptive."

Zelda laughed again, despite the rocky start, the day wasn't going too badly.

Impa and Zelda spent the rest of the day talking, the monster encampments were few and far between, only one of them requiring Impa and... Link... to actually fight.

Finally, they arrived at a military outpost, even stationed with a few Guardians. Usually travelers weren't allowed to stay there, but they made an exeption for Zelda, since she was the princess of Hyrule.

 _Soon._ Zelda thought, as she drifted of to sleep. _Just a few more days and I'll arrive at Gerudo Town_

But Zelda didn't know how to feel about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edited it a little bit so it doesn't take two days to get to Gerudo Town.


	11. people who care

_I can't wait to teach Impa how to catch a sand seal. And to see Urbosa again. It's been too long. Despite everything, my conflicting emotions, the supressed memories that Urbosa brings to the forfront of my mind... I know Urbosa cares about me, and I care about her and... miss her. I hope she isn't disappointed in me, I can deal with Father being disappointed in me, but Urbosa? That would be terrible._

_Or I can hope for a miracle and make them both proud._

_As if..._

\- Zelda's Diary

* * *

Zelda was awake before Link, it was three in the morning, according to the Sheikah Slate which Zelda had been fiddling around with. She still hadn't gotten out of bed, partly because she didn't want anyone to see the Sheikah Slate for fear of someone trying to steal it, and partly because the bed was _so warm._

She discovered a rune function, the only rune being a 'Camera' rune, which appeared to create pictures of whatever the Sheikah Slate was facing. There was also the Sheikah Sensor, which acted similarly to a rune, but seemed to be tied to the map function of the Sheikah Slate. She figured out how it worked by taking a photo of an ice rod she had stuffed in her bag as to study, to observe its effects on the environment in the Gerudo Desert. Once she'd taken the picture, her Sheikah Slate beeped and opened up the Hyrule Compendium, with a picture of the ice rod as well as a description.

'A magical rod crafted from refined ice found in the Hebra Mountains. Great for magic - not so great for melee."

Zelda almost dropped the Sheikah Slate in excitement. It was always thought that Ice Wizrobes created ice rods out of their pure elemental magic, but - assuming the information on the Sheikah Slate was true - ice rods were crafted out of something tangeble and possibly infused with magic from an Ice Wizrobe.

And that was just the tip of the iceberg! If they didn't know something as simple as the creation of ice rods, then the Sheikah Slate could tell them so much more about their world!

Zelda exited the entry for the ice rod. There were four different categories - creatures, monsters, weapons and other.

If she could capture every single item in the compendium, they could discover things that would change the way they viewed their world forever.

"Zelda? Are you awake?" Impa asked, tapping Zelda on the shoulder

"Yes, I'm awake. But I found out something-"

"Change into your travelling clothes, you can tell me on the way."

Zelda stuffed the Sheikah Slate and ice rod back into her bag and quickly changed. 

She walked out of the stable and mounted her horse, not even needing to _try_ not notice Link, her mind was so focused on the Sheikah Slate that she barely even saw him.

She activated the camera rune and as the walked, started taking pictures upon pictures of the surrounding landscape. She soon learned that she could add Hyrule Compendium entries, such as a white horse, a line of horses that each member of the Royal Family rode.

She didn't even speak to Impa, all she did was take pictures, thankfull that the Sheikah Slate had a handle, otherwise she would have dropped it.

"What are you doing?" Impa finally asked. "Is that a relic my sister gave you?"

"Yes, Purah gave me the Sheikah Slate and I discovered a rune on it. Can you please unsheath your weapon for me?"

"I- _why_?"

"Please do it!"

Impa unsheathed her weapon and Zelda took a photo of it, adding something else to the Hyrule Compendium.

"May I ask again, what are you doing?"

"On the Sheikah Slate, there's a function called the Hyrule Compendium. And if you take pictures of items, they'll be registered and provide information! Information that we may not even know about!"

Impa didn't seem too impressed, but Zelda didn't care, the new information she was getting from the Sheikah Slate was invaluable.

They continued riding all the way to a settlement near to the Gerudo Desert Gateway, Zelda still being entertained by the Sheikah Slate.

"Zelda," Impa said after they paid to keep their horses at a stable in the village. "You promised to help Link and I catch a sand seal."

_Link._

The one thing that broke through Zelda's happiness that day was the mention of him, the reminder that instead of wasting her time playing with relics, she should be praying, as to unlock her sacred power.

A baracade of books wouldn't protect Hyrule.

"But it's getting dark, so we'll have to spend the night in an inn."

Zelda blinked and nodded. Tommorow, definitely tomorrow, she'd see Urbosa.

And even Link, in all his natual born power, couldn't dampen her spirits too much.

* * *

"No! That is not how you tie it!" Zelda yelled, chasing after the sand seal that Impa was grabbing onto for dear life. "Let it go!"

"Are you-" Impa spat out a mouthful of sand. "crazy? This thing is going too fast."

"I'll catch you, just let go when I tell you too!" Zelda sped up, turning her sand seal so it was directly infront of the one Impa was trying to catch. "New plan! Don't let go right now!" 

The sand seal hit directly into Zelda, throwing her backwards, but also stunning the sand seal.

"Quick! Tie it!"

Impa tied up the sand seal and attempted the hardest part, shield surfing. 

While grabbing onto the rope with one hand, she thrust her shield to the ground with the other, unhooking her arm and shoving her feet in the handles where her arm was supposed to go.

"Ten rupees Impa hits the Princess." the Gerudo, Gelur, running the sand seal stable said.

"I heard that!" Zelda yelled, seconds before being knocked down by a charging sand seal. She swore she could see Link hand over a few rupees to Gelur.

"I'm going to name her Melon!" Impa said.

"Why Melon?"

"Hydromelons grow in the Gerudo Desert! What's your sand seal's name?"

"Dusty. I picked it when I was five."

Impa laughed. "Dusty! Dusty the sand seal."

"I sneezed a lot!"

Impa and Zelda sat down next to Gelur while Link attempted to catch a sand seal, occasionally feeding their own bits of fruit.

"Zelda... it's good to see you this happy. Filling out the Hyrule Compendium and catching sand seals... that makes you happy."

"I don't think it was the catching sand seals that made it happy, I think it was the fact that you know exactly how to make me feel better."

"So, I'm the sister you never had."

"I suppose." Zelda was silent for a moment. "Do you... do you think that Urbosa's disappointed in me?"

"Why... why would you even _think_ that?"

 _Father._ Zelda thought. _Everyone in Castle Town. They're all disappointed in me. Especially Father._

"No matter what anyone says, you have nothing to be ashamed of. And the people who really care about you will congratulate you on how far you've come, not berate you on the fact that you aren't perfect."

 _But it's_ more _than that. I'm not just imperfect, I'm not even adequate. I haven't unlocked my power, all I've done is take photos for the Hyrule Compendium and while that's useful, anyone could have done that._

"You recruited three people to pilot the Divine Beasts and are on your way to recruit the forth. And don't tell me anyone could have done that, you needed to figure out who the Zora Champion was. Not just anyone could have done that."

_And I'm failing in the most important thing. None of that will matter if I don't unlock my power._

"Yes, you haven't unlocked your power, but you're _trying._ And that's what counts."

Zelda swallowed and nodded her head. "Thank you, Impa."

"Anytime, Princess. Have you been carrying this around for the entire trip?"

"I... no. I was caught up in talking with you and the Hyrule Compendium and... the sand seals-"

As if on que, Dusty stuffed her head in Zelda's bag, trying to reach some more fruit. Impa tossed her a palm fruit and Zelda carried on.

"But I suppose it was in the back of my mind... and I did think about it a few times..."

"I'm always going to be there for you, no matter what, do you understand?"

Zelda nodded, afraid to make a sound since she might start crying.


	12. lost in the past

_I've just changed into more formal wear to ask Urbosa to pilot Divine Beast Vah Naboris._ He _is at Kara Kara Bazaar, no voe - men - are allowed in, but Impa is here._

_I suppose I'm nervous for no reason, Urbosa will almost definitely accept, but what if she doesn't? What if I come back empty handed? What then? What will Father say?_

_What will everyone think?_

\- Zelda's Diary

* * *

"Lady Urbosa, Chief of the Gerudo, I trust you have received the message that you are the chosen Champion of the Gerudo. Do you accept your role as the pilot Divine Beast Vah Naboris?"

"Princess of Hyrule, I accept your propostion without hesitation."

Even though Zelda knew she would accept, she still felt considerably less anxious.

"Not only are they planning to resurrect Calamity Ganon, it seems the Yiga Clan-"

Zelda clenched her fists and tried not to let her discomfort show on her face.

"-is also after our most treasured heirloom."

The Thunder Helm, Zelda decided to ask Urbosa some questions about it later.

"You have my word. I won't rest until the Calamity fails."

"Gerudo Chief Urbosa... on behalf of Hyrule and its King, I thank you."

She turned and left the room, going back to the living quatres they had been provided.

"Isn't Urbosa usually... lighter?" Impa asked. 

"And I'm not usually that formal, and you're usually not that quiet."

"Fair point."

After Impa had changed, Zelda went into the room and managed to change back into her more casual outfit. 

She walked towards Urbosa's room, after telling Impa to stay behind, a route she knew from coming to Gerudo Town since she was born and even before that.

"Ah, Zelda." Urbosa said, looking up from her diary she was writing in.

"Urbosa. It is good to see you."

Urbosa spread her arms wide and Zelda collapsed into them, curling up into a ball next to Urbosa on her seeting.

"How have you been doing, little bird? How are the other Champions?"

"I... I've been doing... _alright..._ it's just that with... the boy with the Master Sword..."

"It makes you feel inferior?"

Zelda nodded.

"We all grow at different paces. Besides, aren't you the new lead researcher at the Royal Ancient Tech Lab?"

"No! I simply... help out... a lot."

Urbosa laughed.

"What about the other Champions? Are you getting along well with them?"

"Fairly well. I didn't think I'd like Revali but... he told me something about him, and I suppose it made me start to see him as a person. Daruk is alright, he's afraid of dogs which I found rather funny."

Urbosa chuckled. "Well, I can't say anything, one of my girlfriends is afraid of sand seals."

"Sand seals _are_ a little terrifying."

"And Mipha... she seems like everything I would hate but... I don't hate her, I quite like her."

"Sounds like love at first sight if I ever saw it."

Zelda blushed a bright red and swiftly changed the subject. "What will we be doing? You always have something good planned!"

"I thought we'd eat a little traditional Gerudo cuisine with your friend, as well as some desert, and then you and I can take a little walk around. Maybe even sleep under the stars tonight."

"Oh, yes, she's Impa, though you've only seen her once before so I doubt you remember her name. She's a Sheikah, an advisor and my friend."

"I don't think I remember her, but I'll try to from now on."

Zelda, Impa and Urbosa walked into town and to a stall where someone was selling food. Urbosa bought them all creamy heart soup.

"It's made almost entirely of plants grown in the Gerudo region." Urbosa explained. "Except for its namesake, the hearty radish."

"It's delicious!" Impa said.

"I'm glad."

She walked over to another stall. "And here is a slice of fruitcake each, made from wildberries from the Gerudo Highlands and a Voltfruit."

They finished off their soup and fruitcake and Urbosa went off to find another stall.

"So, is the best food in the world in the Gerudo region?" Impa asked, most likely joking

"Yes." Zelda said.

"A fruit pie! Made with palm fruit from the trees here in Gerudo Town."

"Urbosa, you make the best food choices!"

"It's practically a festival here. Why is that?"

"Because I've accepted your offer to become the pilot of a Divine Beast. It's a celebration of you, Zelda, and me! As well as giving food to Zelda's friend."

"Thank you for the celebration, Urbosa!"

"And thank you for the food."

Urbosa laughed. "I may not know you well, but it seems as though you're a good person. Anyway, I think it's time for me and Zelda to talk a little alone."

"Wait!" Zelda said, taking out her Sheikah Slate. "Let's take a picture!"

She held out the Sheikah Slate and snapped a picture, Impa with a little bit of icing on her face, Urbosa looking a little like a suprised deer, in the middke of a bite or pie, and Zelda laughing at both of them.

Urbosa and Zelda walked outside the town, outside the noise of the small celebration that had been shambled together.

"I hope you enjoyed that." Urbosa said, smiling. "I shambled it together in short notice, although it wasn't much, I do hope it was satisfactory."

"Wasn't much? Urbosa, it was wonderful, even though the main event consisted of eating fruit pie! And all that to celebrate you becoming a Champion."

"You looked rather uncomfortable."

"That dress is _designed_ to make one uncomfortable."

Urbosa started to laugh again, spuring Zelda to as well.

"I've never seen you so serious, Urbosa!"

Urbosa turned to Zelda, suddenly serious. "Oh, my. I can't say the same. Ten years ago, you rarely smiled, my little bird."

_Better not to dwell on it, change the subject..._

"Urbosa, I feel like you've called me little bird before. I was wondering where you got that name from."

Urbosa stopped and reached for the hilt of her scimitar.

"Halt. And face me."

Two travelers behind Urbosa turned.

"Unlike you traitors, I prefer to fight my enemies head on."

She drew her weapon, the Scimitar of Seven. "Do your worst."

_Travelers... traitors... Gerudo Town. No, it can't be. No it can't._

The travelers lept at Urbosa, and in an instant, Zelda knew who they were.

The Yiga Clan.

Urbosa parried the one that attacked her, deflecting their movements as if she was in some elaborate dance. She used her shield, Daybreaker, to parry the footsoldier, then hit him with the hilt of her scimitar.

One down.

She stepped back, and the second one lept at her, vicious sickle raised.

And Urbosa was about to die. Just like her mother. And there was nothing Zelda could do.

"Urbosa!" she yelled, already knowing what would come.

Urbosa snapped her fingers and summoned lighting onto the footsoldier.

"Out of respect for our Princess, you may keep your lives. Now go."

The footsoldiers scurried off.

"You asked me why I call you little bird."

"Huh?" Zelda said, softly.

"When you were but a small child... my dear friend called you that, with the sweeteest smile that ever graced our land of Hyrule."

"You mean... Mother."

It was no use, tears were welling up. 

"It was ten long years ago..."

And Urbosa had killed the Yiga footsoldiers, but, like Zelda, been unable to save her mother, and like Zelda, had wondered why she got to live when Zelda's mother did not.

"Your mother had just left this world, yet her little bird still spread her wings and became the beacon of light Hyrule needed."

_They didn't kill me because they knew-_

"Sometimes I forget myself... and get lost in the past."

Urbosa spread her arms wide and Zelda crahsed into them.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that. I know it's hard even hearing them mentioned."

"Thank you, Urbosa. For everything."

"I should be thanking you, little bird."

* * *

_Zelda and I came across the Yiga Clan today, if I hadn't been there... she would have met the same fate as my dear friend. And although I was there, she is not unscathed, she cried for a little while, longer than I've ever seen her cry. She told me of her doubts, thoughts that maybe the Yiga Clan didn't kill her back then because they knew she couldn't help Hyrule._ _She told me that she thinks her mother was supposed to be the Queen with the blood of the Goddess, taking down Calamity Ganon._

_I worry about her. Luckily, I won't let her out of my sight just yet, I have two beds in my room so I let her sleep on one, and I'll be coming with her back to Hyrule Castle._

_I look forward to meeting the other Champions, I hope they're doing well._

_I hope Zelda is asleep._

\- Urbosa's Diary


	13. you never failed

"Urbosa... who is that?" Zelda asked.

There was a Gerudo child sitting next to Urbosa as the later wrote in her journal.

"Oh... I didn't introduce you to Larilo." Urbosa said, gesturing to the dark skinned girl. "Her parents... they died so my girlfriends and I are looking after her. She will be the next Gerudo Chief."

"Are you taking her with us?"

"We have decided that she should see the world a little. And there is no place more protected than Hyrule Castle... except maybe Akkala Citadel.. but it's constantly under attack which wouldn't be the right place to bring a child."

"I must get ready, when are we leaving."

"Now, I know you don't want to talk about it, but we can't just pretend yesterday never happened-"

"The festival was very nice thank you."

"We both know that's not what I was referring to."

Zelda wanted to scream and crawl back into the bed. Why did they have to talk about yesterday, one of the more terrible days. Days she wanted to forget about and shove to the back of her mind.

"We can pretend yesterday never happened. I suppose my bags are in the other room. I'll go change."

"Zelda-"

But she walked out of the room.

* * *

_We're going to leave Gerudo Town, accompanied by Larilo, a child Urbosa has taken under her wing, and Urbosa herself. I hope she doesn't want to talk about yesterday again. But she won't do it in front of Impa or Larilo. Unless she thought it extremely important..._

\- Zelda's Diary

* * *

"We'll take a sand seal until we reach Kara Kara Bazaar. Then we'll be joined by the Link, the voe who wields the Master Sword, and carry on until we reach a settlement where we drop off our sand seals and colllect horses. Am I correct on that?" Urbosa asked.

"Yes, Urbosa." Zelda answered. "We'll explain more once we're on our horses."

"Well, come then."

Urbosa lead them to where their sand seals were being kept and out the east entrance of Gerudo Town. Sand seal surfing is not only a fun activity, it also makes it impossible for others to talk to you. Zelda liked that aspect of it.

Urbosa rode on her shield, Daybreaker, which glided smoothly across the sand, Larilo's Gerudo Shield was slightly slower, about the speed of Impa's Mind's Eye shield. Zelda had been provided with a Radient Shield, which went at the same spead as Urbosa's shield, but Zelda still struggled to keep up, as Urbosa and Larilo were much better at shield surfing than she was.

Zelda took this time to observe the newcomer. She was about twelve years old with skin a little darker than Urbosa's and red hair that only just reached her shoulders. She - unlike Urbosa - wasn't _enjoying_ the sand seal surfing, or at least not in a visible way. She kept her hands tightly curled around the ropes, steering in a straight line. 

Suddenly, Larilo brought her sand seal to a stop, causing Zelda to nearly ram into her.

"We've arrived at Kara Kara Bazaar. I'm told you like this place, Larilo. It's a pity we'll spend such a short amount of time here."

"I like it well enough." Larilo said, as she clenched her fists. Something about her felt very familiar.

The knight who seals the darkness walked towards the four of them, pulling along a sand seal. He mounted it, using his soldiers shield to surf. 

And taking off his shield gave Zelda a brief look at the sword on his back, which certainly didn't help Zelda's mood.

* * *

"We can stop here, in the Gerudo Canyon. There's a small area where we can camp for the night, all we'll need are blankets and a small fire." Urbosa said. "Don't worry, we'll take it in turns to watch so no one will be attacked."

The boy who wields the Master Sword nodded and began gathering bits of wood to create a fire. Zelda got the blankets out of their pack and along with Impa made a small area for them to rest, along with a blanket hung so that it provided an area for them to change. Urbosa went to scout out the area and watch for monsters.

Larilo didn't do much except get out some food items from their bags so _he_ could make them food.

 _He_ chose to make meat stew, which was an easy dish to make with only a limited amount of cooking utensils. It was surprisingly good, because of course the hero of Hyrule had to be an expert chef.

"Zelda, I wanted to talk with you." Urbosa said, a little while after she'd finishhed eating. Larilo and Impa were already asleep, having fallen asleep within seconds of taking their final bites.

"Alright..." Zelda said, aprhensivly.

"Follow me." Urbosa lead Zelda into a more secluded area that was almost completely dark due to the new moon.

"I wanted to talk to you about something."

Zelda gulped.

"It's nothing bad, it's just... a sensitive topic..." Urbosa put an arm around Zelda's shoulder. "When... when you were young, around six and seven..."

_Oh no..._

"What would have made you feel better? What would have helped you?"

Zelda just stared at her.

"Larilo... she's going through the same things as you did. She lost her parents to the Yiga Clan... she saw it. I couldn't help you when you needed it... so much... that you..."

Urbosa hugged Zelda, holding her close. "I don't want to fail her too. Please, help me."

"Urbosa..." Zelda murmured. "You _never_ failed... I did..."

Urbosa put her hand on Zelda's head. "That, my little bird, is proof that I did."


	14. no one else can die

Zelda tossed and turned all night, Urbosa didn't fail. Urbosa _never_ failed. She was unattainable, perfect in every way. Like the rest of the Champions, except maybe Revali. Though he was perfect _too_. He never let anything get in his way, the best warrior of all the Rito, dominating the skies, despite the fact it pained him. He worked around it.... so why couldn't Zelda?

She prayed every day, had complete and utter devotion, and yet... she was still a failure. She had nothing to show.

When she got back to Hyrule Castle she'd have to look her father in the eye and tell him that she'd failed yet again. Tell all the Champions that not only had she not unlocked her sacred power, but it was unlikely she ever would.

She clenched her fists, so tightly that she could feel her nails digging into her skin and rose from the makeshift sleeping area. She quickly changed into her travelling clothes and checked the time on her Sheikah Slate, it was about five o'clock, soon they'd start moving.

"Morning, Princess." Impa said, she was the one who was keeping watch.

"Good morning, Impa." Zelda said.

Impa smiled and passed Zelda a plate of salted, roasted, tree nuts.

"Here, nice snack for the morning."

"Thank you."

She sat next to Impa and opened the Sheikah Slate. She hadn't taken a picture of Urbosa's weapons yet, the Scimitar of Seven and Daybreaker. She took photos of them and added her own description.

"A lot of admiration of Urbosa, I see." Impa said, looking over Zelda's shoulder as she inputed the description.

"As if you can say anything." Zelda shot back. "I have half a mind to change the Shield of the Mind's Eye description to read: 'Although this shield is highly useful, Impa who is considered to be a highly skilled Sheikah warrior (though is not) cannot block with this shield properly to save her life.'"

"I do use my shield properly!" Impa said in mock anger.

Zelda raised her eyebrows and popped a tree nut in her mouth. "Of course."

* * *

_We will soon be venturing into dangerous territory. We were attacked by monsters on the way to Gerudo Town, but due to the fact that we are now accompanied by two Gerudo, I am anticipating more dangerous enemies. I hope, dearly, that I am wrong._

_On a lighter note, I am continously updating the Hyrule Compendium. I have added a section for Urbosa"s weapon and plan to do so for the other Champions should they all have special weapons._

_I... am a little aprhensive about returning home without unlocking my powers though...._

\- Zelda's Diary

* * *

Zelda stared down into the waters below the bridge.

"Let's hope we don't fall off. If we land in those waters, there's no guarantee we'll be able to make it back out." she said, gripping onto her horse's reins tightly. "We should also consider taking it a few at a time. Urbosa, Larilo and I can go across first and we'll wait at the other side of these islands for the others."

"That's a good idea. Link and Impa can lead our horses as well."

They dismounted their horses and started walking towards the other side of the island. The first time she went across, on the way to Gerudo Town, they had to run across, almost falling off several times, to avoid being killed by an angry Hinox.

"This.... something about this makes me uneasy." Urbosa whispered as they sneaked past the sleeping giant.

"Prehaps it's the Hinox right next to us." Zelda suggested as she took a picture of it for the Hyrule Compendium.

"No... not that."

They continued past the giant until they reached the end of the series of islands and stoppped to wait for Impa and the knight to come.

"It feels... quiet." Urbosa insisted. Now, Zelda was feeling it too, the cold sense of incoming dread.

Larilo finally spoke up. "I doubt it's something-"

An arrow lodged itself in a tree next to her head, then a second in quick succession, like they'd been fired out of a double arrow bow...

"Zelda, Larilo, run!" Urbosa yelled.

Zelda grabbed the young Gerudo's hand and started running, avoiding the arrows that sailed past her head. 

Yiga.

She heard the unmistakable laughter, but then saw something--some _one_ \--different.

They were a Yiga Clan member, but with broader shoulders. Less of an attacker in ambushes, more of a straight up fighter.

Zelda kept on running, almost dragging Larilo in her effort to get away.

She was a coward. While Urbosa fought multiple footsoldiers, she ran away, leaving her friend in her effort to live.

But she didn't turn back. She kept running, trying to dodge the arrows until-

She was knocked back by what she could only describe as a blade made of her. Her head knocked against a rock, her vision went blurry, all she could see was a long metal blade and the mask of the inverted eye...

She flailed wildly with her arms, hitting the attacker with her hand and scrambling to her feet. Zelda ran towards Larilo, who had fallen onto the ground as well, though the girl hadn't gotten up.

Her eyes were closed. She wasn't moving. And coating her was a mass of sticky blood.

Zelda grabbed Larilo's arm and pulled her out the way, attempting to hide her behind a tree. But the Yiga Clan person got there first, swinging their sword, creating more blades of air.

Zelda took the brunt of the attack, trying desperately to bring Larilo to saftey. Bring Larilo to saftey. Bring-

_But what if she's already dead and you let another person die in front of you. What if-_

Zelda climbed to her feet again. The attacker raised their weapon. And attacked Larilo.

_I will not let anyone else die._

Zelda jumped in front of Larilo, feeling the full impact of the attacker's sword against her chest. She grabbed Larilo's arm, she felt dizzy, knowing the only thing keeping her from feeling the full amount of pain was the rush in her blood. 

The blood that was now flowing out of her.

She looked back at the attacker, they were wiping the blood off their weapon, as if it was just an ordinary day for them. 

She wanted to kill them. Kill them for acting like potentially killing two people was just another day. Kill them for being part of an organisation that killed so many people.

Killed her mother. Killed Larilo's parents. Killed so many people's parents and stood there like it was no big deal.

She saw a blinding flash of light, then everything went black.

* * *

Zelda woke up in a place she didn't recognise. Urbosa was sleeping on a chair next to her bed, on the other side of Urbosa slept Larilo. Surrounding the three of them were curtains that blocked their small area from the rest of the room.

"Urbosa?" she asked, suprised at how weak her voice was, and how much it hurt to speak.

Urbosa stirred. "Zelda? You're awake?"

"Where are we?"

"Exchange Place. Are you alright? Are you in pain? Do you need anything?"

"A little. Talking." Zelda shifted and yelped in pain. "And moving."

"I'll get you some food."

Urbosa got up and left the small area. She wad reminded that she hadn't eaten since the small plate of nuts.... last morning. At least she thought it was last morning...

Urbosa returned quickly with a mushroom omelet.

"What happened?" Zelda asked, before taking a bite into her omelet.

"We were ambushed. I should have killed the ones in Gerudo Town, they knew where we were and where we were going. Luckily, now these ones haven't returned, we won't be ambushed by them again. We managed to fight them off and traveled for a while, until you woke up. And..."

Urbosa paused.

"How didn't you freeze?" Urbosa asked. "Like you did in Gerudo Town?"

Zelda wondered that herself, how didn't she freeze up? Consumed by the memories of her mother's death. She blinked twice and looked Urbosa in the eye, a trick she used to avoid showing any emotions.

"I don't know. Prehaps because... I couldn't let Larilo die."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> me, playing age of calamity and remembering that master kohga exists
> 
> yeah so I have no idea how I'm going to make this work hhhh
> 
> like there's this big difference between the Yiga Clan in the Stolen Heirloom sidequest than the Yiga Clan in Age of Calamity and Master Kohga in both games. Like... how are they the same? But I suppose I'm firmly on the Stolen Heirloom side of things.
> 
> what about you all? are you on the Stolen Heirloom & Sooga (yiga scary) side of things or the Master Kohga (yiga funny) side of things?


End file.
